The Berlin Adler (English: Berlin Eagles ) is an American football club based in Berlin , Germany . The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls .
72-680: Internationally, the club has participated in the European Football League (EFL) on several occasions, and has won the Eurobowl in 2010 and 2014. As of 2015, the club is second only to the Munich Cowboys (405) in German Football League (GFL) games played, with 378, one of only three teams with more than 300 league games. The Cowboys have played 35 out of a possible 38 seasons at the highest level of
144-719: A coach of the year award, and an award for the World Bowl MVP. The league also awarded offensive, defensive, special teams, and national players of the week, and named an all-league team at the end of the season. In the United States, television coverage was provided by the ABC and USA Network. The reported cost of the contracts varied. According to the Los Angeles Times , ABC committed to $ 28 million over two years, and USA Network committed to $ 25 million for
216-762: A Super Bowl in 2002 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jake Delhomme (who led the Carolina Panthers to an NFC championship in 2003 ), and journeyman quarterback Jon Kitna all spent time in NFL Europe. Two NFL Europe alumni (kicker Adam Vinatieri and return specialist Dante Hall ) were included on the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team . The league also provided an opportunity for the NFL to experiment with rules and to develop officials and coaches. Some NFL coaches and executives have suggested reviving
288-453: A deal could have helped the league financially. Andrei S. Markovits and Lars Rensmann described the league as an "abysmal failure", noting its poor quality of play, frequent name changes, and franchise relocations as well as the accessibility of regular NFL games in Europe as reasons for its collapse. Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com noted that the league had strayed from its original goal, with
360-454: A division of 3, teams played 2 matches; once at home to one opponent and the other away to the other opponent. In a division of 2 teams, each team played each other home and away. The division winners then advanced to the play-offs. The play-off format was changed for the 2008 season. The tournament was expanded to an eight-team competition. The two finalists from the 2007 season, Vienna Vikings and Marburg Mercenaries, earned automatic berths for
432-475: A division, would play in a four-team playoff . Following its revival as a six-team European league, the ten-game schedule was retained as double round-robin regular season. From 1995 to 1997, the World Bowl was played between the team with the best record in the first half of the season and the team with the best record in the second half of the season; from 1998 on, the two teams with the best records across
504-537: A four-year television deal with USA Network to air regular and post-season games. Schramm was fired as league president in October 1990 due to differences between him and the NFL as to the direction the WLAF would take; Schramm had wanted the WLAF to be an "independent, major international league which would be strong enough to stand on its own feet", while the NFL had wanted the WLAF to be a small league with close ties to
576-627: A game in its first season; the European teams had a higher attendance than the North American teams, bolstering the average. Ultimately, the NFL decided to bring the league back for a second season in 1992. The league name was shortened to World League by league officials, who felt the surprising success of the league in Europe made the "American football" part unnecessary, and the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks folded, replaced by
648-542: A loss of nearly $ 7 million, and none of its teams made a profit. In addition to the monetary loss for the league, television ratings on ABC and USA network were poor. According to Dan Rooney , the NFL chairman of the World League, cost estimates were accurate, but the league overestimated the amount of revenue the WLAF would make. The league's television contracts were also at risk due to poor ratings, with USA Network having lost money. The WLAF averaged around 26,000 fans
720-563: A minor league and refused to acknowledge the WLAF as a farm league of the NFL. The NFL approved the creation of the WLAF in July 1989, with Schramm to head up the project and the league expected to begin play in 1990 or 1991. The league was expected to have 12 teams (six in the United States, four in Europe, one in Canada and one in Mexico ), and it secured a two-year television deal with ABC and
792-598: A second-tier competition, with its teams playing for the newly created EFL Bowl trophy. The inaugural EFL Bowl was won by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes of Germany against Spain's Badalona Dracs on 20 July 2014. From 2017 on, the EFL Bowl winners may play a relegation game against the last placed team of the BIG6, and be promoted to the BIG6 if they win. This relegation game never happened. Every team in
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#1732776443577864-946: A single 10-minute quarter where both teams were required to have control of the ball at least once, and the play clock was set to 35 seconds. Starting with the 1997 season, the league required the receiver to have two feet in bounds for a completed pass. Ties were possible in the league, with two (a 1992 game between the London Monarchs and Birmingham Fire and a 2006 game between the Berlin Thunder and Hamburg Sea Devils) occurring in league history. NFL teams were allowed to allocate players to NFL Europe. In exchange for doing this, they were awarded with exemptions for training camp, allowing them to bring more players than would otherwise be allowed. A certain number of players on each team of NFL Europe were required to be "local players", and at least two local players were required to be on
936-694: Is pursuing the goal of a franchise in London , as well as potential regular-season games in China . In 2021, the NFL announced it was looking for partners to host a regular-season game in Germany. In 2022, the league announced four regular-season games would be held in Germany, the first set for November 13, 2022 between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks to be played at Munich 's Allianz Arena . NFL.com writer Judy Battista noted Germany
1008-751: The BIG6 European Football League , which consisted of three teams from Germany, two from Austria and one from Switzerland, the clubs being Berlin Adler, New Yorker Lions , Dresden Monarchs , Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna , Swarco Raiders Tirol and the Calanda Broncos . The two best teams in this competition advanced to the Eurobowl XXVIII. Berlin won this competition when it defeated the New Yorker Lions 20–17 in
1080-482: The Braunschweig Lions in a low-scoring German Bowl. After this, the club experienced two lean seasons, being knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2005 and having to play against relegation in 2006 but successfully avoiding the relegation round in the end. The team did not decline further, as it had done in the 1990s, but instead reached the semi-finals in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, the side lost narrowly to
1152-743: The Cologne Centurions in 2004, and the following year the Scottish Claymores folded; although the team boasted the largest following of any Scottish sports team outside the Old Firm , averaging 10,799 per game, the league had determined an additional German team could bring in 30,000 per game. The Claymores were replaced the following year by the Hamburg Sea Devils , which left the Amsterdam Admirals as
1224-646: The Düsseldorf -based Rhein Fire , and two additional new teams (the Amsterdam Admirals and Scottish Claymores ). Each team was required to have seven "local" players on their 40-man roster. Fox became a co-owner of the WLAF and a major financial contributor in return for broadcasting rights. The league was renamed the NFL Europe League (NFLEL) in 1998, and the London Monarchs were renamed
1296-620: The Frankfurt Universe . The new team was promoted to the German Football League 2 in 2011, and won promotion to the German Football League (GFL) in 2015. The European League of Football (ELF), a pan-European league that began play in 2021, signed an agreement with the NFL allowing them to utilize the branding of the former teams of NFL Europe. The ELF's Barcelona Dragons , Berlin Thunder , Cologne Centurions , Hamburg Sea Devils , Frankfurt Galaxy , and Rhein Fire all share
1368-618: The Intercontinental Football League (IFL). Aiming for a launch in the spring of 1975, the IFL would feature six teams (located in Istanbul , Rome , Munich , West Berlin , Vienna , and Barcelona , respectively) and would be a satellite league of the NFL, with initial funds made by the NFL owners and the rosters consisting of "second-line athletes and rookies from established NFL teams". The brainchild of Bob Kap ,
1440-497: The National Football League 2000s All-Decade Team . The league's schedule went through several formats throughout its existence, but each season always culminated in the championship World Bowl game. In its initial run, each team played a ten-game schedule, and the winners of each of the three divisions (Europe, North America East, and North America West), along with the team with the best record that didn't win
1512-528: The Ohio Glory . Although the league was "wildly popular" in Europe, with attendance averaging 45,000 for the London Monarchs, it was "ignored" in the United States. The World League suspended play for the 1993 and 1994 season before returning in 1995 as a six-team, exclusively European league. All three of the original European teams returned, along with the Birmingham Fire, who were rebooted as
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#17327764435771584-792: The Red Barons Cologne . The Adler became a dominating team in Germany, achieving a 966-day unbeaten run, which only came to a halt in a league game against the Cologne Crocodiles in 1991. Before and after, the Adler defeated the Crocodiles in the German Bowl in 1990 and 1991. In European competition, the club reached the semi-finals in 1990 and the final in 1991, once more losing to the Amsterdam Crusaders. After three titles in series from 1989 to 1991,
1656-709: The Stuttgart Scorpions , in 2008 they lost to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes , a team it was to meet in the following two German Bowls. In Europe, the Berlin Adler won the EFAF Cup , a second-tier competition, against the Parma Panthers of Italy , the club's first international title. In 2009, the Adler had another successful season, losing only one league game and advancing to their seventh German Bowl, earning their sixth national title by defeating
1728-475: The World Bowl . The ten game schedule was retained upon the league's return in 1995, but was modified with the new six-team format. Each team played every other team twice in a double round-robin regular season . Following the regular season, two teams would be selected for the World Bowl; the team that led the league's standings after week five would host the game, and the team with the best overall record at
1800-655: The World Football League (WFL), a players' strike during the summer of 1974, and the recession . Another factor was the turmoil in Europe in 1974: Turkey had invaded Cyprus , the American ambassador to Cyprus had been assassinated, Basque separatists had assassinated the prime minister of Spain , and terrorist groups like the Red Brigades had engaged in kidnapping. The State Department discouraged NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle from pursuing
1872-560: The developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally founded in 1989 as the World League of American Football (or WLAF ), the league was envisioned as a transatlantic league encompassing teams from both North America and Europe . Initially, the WLAF consisted of seven teams in North America and three in Europe. It began play in 1991 and lasted for two seasons before suspending operations; while
1944-456: The 2014 final. In the GFL the club finished fifth in 2014 and thereby missed out on play-off qualification, repeated in 2015 when it came sixth. The financial situation of the Berlin Adler began to deteriorate during this era, however, the fact that other teams failed to get a license to play in the GFL kept them from being relegated for several years, until they had to face the relegation round after
2016-755: The 2017 season, as fate would have it, against the Potsdam Royals . As Berlin lost that game, they found themselves in GFL2 for the following season, failing to stabilize the on-field situation, culminating with yet another relegation to the third tier. The club's appearances in the German Bowl: Recent seasons of the Berlin Adler: European Football League The European Football League ( EFL ) established in 1986,
2088-399: The 32 NFL owners voted against funding it, one short of the nine votes needed to end the league, and its gradual progression into a German-dominated league had run counter to the NFL's goals of selling merchandise throughout the European continent. The league's inability to garner a live television contract with local media markets also played a role in its demise, as the potential revenue from
2160-522: The 4 divisions accordingly, thus not all nations took part. National league champions, runners-up or teams with international success were eligible for the EFL. Teams from 'weaker' leagues could take part in the EFAF Cup . The final game of the EFL was the Eurobowl , which has been held annually since 1986. In 2014, the BIG6 European Football League was introduced as the new top-tier competition of American football in Europe. The EFL continued to be played as
2232-552: The Adler and the team was back at the highest level for 2002. Berlin, in the meantime, had acquired an NFL Europe team in 1999, the Berlin Thunder , a club that lasted until 2007, when the league folded. The Adler once more became a successful side in the German Football League, reaching the semi-finals in their first two seasons there. In 2004, the team ended the club's 13-year title drought, defeating
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2304-587: The Adler declined somewhat but remained a strong side, still reaching the semi-finals in each of the following four seasons. In 1994, the club made its fifth German Bowl appearance, but lost for the first time, against the Düsseldorf Panther. In 1995, the club still had a strong season, but declined markedly after that. The 1996 season saw the Adler in the unfamiliar position of having to combat relegation and being troubled by financial problems. It came sixth and last in its division, and had to take part in
2376-617: The Bears became a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga , renamed the German Football League in 1999, together with the Frankfurter Löwen , Düsseldorf Panther , Ansbach Grizzlies , Munich Cowboys und Bremerhaven Seahawks . The Bears came third in their first season in competitive football, but was unable to make the playoffs in its first four seasons. To improve on-the-field performance,
2448-419: The EFL Bowl was introduced as the new final game of the EFL. The 2018 EFL season was the last edition of the tournament. Under the governance of EFAF, the best American Football teams in Europe participate in annual competitions. Until 2013, the EFL was the first-tier competition for American football clubs in Europe. EFAF determined the relative strength of each of its 17 affiliate leagues and allocated teams to
2520-481: The England Monarchs in an attempt to spur attendance, which had fallen below 10,000 per game. The Monarchs would fold the following season and were replaced by the Berlin Thunder . NFL Europe commemorated its 10th season in 2002 , but still remained far from being profitable. The league announced a three-year with the soccer club FC Barcelona to jointly promote American football in Europe and soccer in
2592-545: The Eurobowl. With the start of the Big6 in 2014, the format of the EFL changed again. Six teams played in two divisions of three teams. The winners of the groups advanced to the EFL Bowl. For a list of champions by year before 2014, see Eurobowl . NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa ) was a professional American football league that functioned as
2664-514: The European Football League had to publish its 60-man roster. After that no player can be added. Every game day the teams have to nominate an EFAF active game day roster, which is limited to 45 players with a maximum of 3 active Americans as defined USA, Canadian, Mexican or Japanese passport holders. These three players may all be on the field at the same time. Until 2013, EFL teams were split into 4 divisions of 3 or 2 teams. In
2736-489: The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 28–21. The 2010 season saw a repeat of this final, but this time Kiel was the stronger side and won their first national title. The Adler however achieved their second European success, finally winning the Eurobowl for the first time. The 2011 season was not as successful for the club, making a losing appearance in the Eurobowl, finishing only fourth in the league and going out in
2808-462: The NFL announced the closure of NFL Europa. The league had been losing a reported US$ 30 million a year, and the NFL had decided to shift their strategy in marketing football abroad towards holding NFL regular-season games outside the United States . The NFL owners who funded the league were reportedly dissatisfied with NFL Europa's lack of revenue as well as its decreasing success in player development. The league had nearly folded in 2003, when eight of
2880-436: The NFL draft, the World League draft was a position-by-position draft – potential draftees were divided into ten position groups, meaning each of the ten teams would have the number-one pick at a position group. All players were to receive a base salary of $ 20,000, but players could receive more money by meeting performance-based incentives with a maximum total salary of $ 100,000. Each NFL team could allocate up to four players to
2952-468: The NFL. On November 14, 1990, the WLAF announced it would begin play in 1991 with ten teams (six of them in the United States, three of them in Europe, and one in Canada) split into three divisions (North America West, North America East, and Europe). A 50-game schedule stretching from March 23, 1991, to May 27, 1991, was agreed upon, and a draft was held from February 14, 1991, to February 24, 1991. Unlike
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3024-597: The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "The only way a Monarchs fan could watch the team's first-round playoff game from the Meadowlands was to go to Wembley to see it on closed circuit ." The revived league's United Kingdom television coverage was mainly on Sky Sports , with additional coverage also on Channel 4, STV , and Carlton . Eight European continental broadcasters also showed games, including Germany 's Vox and DSF . Although
3096-486: The United States; the Barcelona Dragons franchise was renamed FC Barcelona Dragons. The collaboration with FC Barcelona would prove to be unsuccessful, however, and the Barcelona Dragons would fold after the 2003 season due to declining attendance. The team's attendance had fallen to under 7,000 per game, a 50% decline since the 1997 season , when the team had won the World Bowl . The Dragons were replaced by
3168-411: The WLAF playoffs were held, featuring the three division champions ( London Monarchs , New York/New Jersey Knights , and Birmingham Fire ) and one wild-card team ( Barcelona Dragons ). London and Barcelona won their playoff games to meet in World Bowl '91 at Wembley Stadium , which London won 21–0. Following its first season, the World League of American Football was at risk of folding. It suffered
3240-536: The WLAF, although only two, the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs opted to do so. The World League of American Football, described by The New York Times as the "first trans-Atlantic major sports league", began play on March 23, 1991, with three games held in Frankfurt, Germany , Birmingham, Alabama , and Sacramento, California , respectively. After the conclusion of the regular season,
3312-717: The allocation system of players gradually being abused to amass training camp exemptions rather than to develop players. John Mara , the co-owner of the New York Giants , said that the league "had some useful purpose in developing players" and that it helped the NFL determine that there was an interest in American football in Europe. Looking back on NFL Europe in 2017, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com noted its strong record in developing quarterbacks : Kurt Warner (a Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP ), Brad Johnson (who won
3384-535: The concept of a developmental league, and several independent leagues have been created to fill the need, but with little success. At a press conference before Super Bowl LI , league commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL had been "actively considering" creating a new developmental league. Since the closure of NFL Europa, the NFL has held regular-season games annually in London and has also hosted regular-season games in Mexico City and Toronto . The league
3456-401: The end of the season would be their opponent. This format was criticized for making the second half of the league's season less competitive, and beginning with the 1998 season it was changed to have the two teams with the best overall records play in the World Bowl instead. The league played under standard NFL rules, with several exceptions. In an effort to appeal to fans of rugby and soccer,
3528-472: The entire season played in the World Bowl. The Frankfurt Galaxy – the only team to play all 15 seasons of the league's existence – won the most World Bowl titles (four) and recorded the most World Bowl appearances (eight), while the final league title was won by the Hamburg Sea Devils . In 1974, the National Football League (NFL) announced plans to launch a professional American football league in Europe ,
3600-515: The field at all times during games. Despite this, most of the league's most prominent players were Americans; "local players" were often converted rugby or soccer players playing as punters or placekickers . NFL Europe presented several awards and honors. The World Bowl trophy, awarded to the winners of the annual World Bowl game, was a 40-pound glass globe. The winning team also received championship rings Other awards included regular season most valuable player awards on offense and defense,
3672-612: The following year. After remaining unbeaten all season in 1987, the team defeated the Badener Greifs in the German Bowl, held in front of a sell-out crowd of 14,800 at Mommsenstadion in Berlin. The team's first entry in the EFL in 1988 ended in the semi-finals, losing narrowly to the Amsterdam Crusaders but, in 1989, the club returned to success, winning its second German Bowl, again undefeated all season, against
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#17327764435773744-469: The game in Germany, the Adler four less, 31. The club was formed as the second American football club in Berlin on 12 February 1979, then under the name of Berliner Bären (English: Berlin Bears ). Shortly after its formation, the club was joined by the Berlin Bats, increasing the number of club members substantially. In the early days, all training was carried out on the facilities of the US Army and supervised by US soldiers stationed in Berlin. In 1979 ,
3816-411: The league had been "wildly popular" in Europe, it failed to achieve success in North America. After a two-year hiatus, it returned as a six-team European league, with teams based in England , Germany , the Netherlands , Scotland , and Spain . NFL Europa was dissolved in 2007 due to its continued unprofitability and the NFL's decision to shift its focus towards hosting regular-season games in Europe; at
3888-467: The league instituted rules to speed up the pace of the game and awarded four points for field goals made from beyond 50 yards as opposed to the typical three points. Rule changes instituted upon the league's revival in 1995 included the creation of the defensive two-point conversion , referred to by the league as the "deuce", as well as only requiring receivers to have one foot in bounds on a completed pass. The regular-season overtime period consisted of
3960-440: The league no longer had any U.S. teams, it was covered on American television until its closure. Fox became a co-owner of the league in exchange for broadcasting rights, and following the relaunch all regular season games were broadcast on the FX network. Fox ended its joint ownership with the league in 2000, but continued to air some games as a television partner. In 2004, NFL Network began airing select NFL Europe games. This
4032-465: The league, and the IFL also suffered a potentially fatal blow when Pan American World Airways , who Kap had brought on as a sponsor, pulled out of the project. Ultimately, Rozelle deemed the creation of the league "impractical". By 1980, the popularity of American football was increasing in Europe without any push by the NFL. The NFL capitalized on this newfound interest by holding American Bowl games ( pre-season exhibition contests held overseas), and
4104-419: The names and imagery of their NFL Europe predecessors. From 1991 to 1992, the ten-team WLAF was split into three divisions: North America East, North America West, and Europe with a ten-game regular season schedule. All three division champions, in addition to the team with the best record who didn't win its division , made the playoffs. The winners of the two playoff games played for the league championship in
4176-430: The next season and the two semi-finalists, Eidsvoll 1814's from Norway and Tirol Raiders from Austria, earned a spot for the national champions of their respective countries. In quarterfinals these teams faced the four winners of the divisional round. In semi-finals teams were paired by the Eurobowl seeding system, with the best-seeded team facing the worst and the second-best facing the second-worst. Winners then advanced to
4248-409: The only team in the league not to be based in Germany. This was part of a strategic pivot to Germany, which had been the most receptive country to the league and the sport in general. Accordingly, the league changed its name to NFL Europa in 2006, ahead of the league's 15th season , to reflect the league's focus on Germany and the Netherlands. On July 29, 2007, less than a week after World Bowl XV ,
4320-463: The popularity of these games, particularly in London , led to a renewed interest from Rozelle in creating an American football league in Europe. In 1989, the NFL announced plans to create an international spring football league. The NFL initially wanted the new league to be known as the International Football League, but it had to change the name after discovering that the name was already owned by Donald Trump and Charley Finley , who were allegedly in
4392-472: The process of forming their own league (which would never come to fruition). The name World League of American Football (WLAF) was eventually settled on; this name was chosen to avoid associating it with the dissolved World Football League, and the term "American football" was included in the league's name because "football" in Europe typically refers to association football , known in the United States as soccer. The NFL and WLAF attempted to downplay its status as
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#17327764435774464-458: The proposed league had already sold six franchises and had secured the rights to loan players from the NFL. The league had also pre-selected four more cities for expansion teams, and Al Davis and Tex Schramm were assigned to head the committee that would put the league together. The IFL did not materialize – the Pro Football Researchers Association attributed this failure to Europe not being ready for American football, potential competition with
4536-412: The quarter-finals of the playoffs to the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns . In 2012, the club came second in the northern division of the GFL and qualified for the play-off where it was knocked out by the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in the semi-finals. The team again reached the semi-finals of the playoffs in 2013, this time losing to the Dresden Monarchs . In 2014, the club took part in a new European competition,
4608-411: The relegation round. The team assured its survival in two games against local rival Berlin Rebels . The following season proved worse, however; the Adler could not win a league game all season, had to play in the relegation round once more and, after winning the first game against the Paderborn Dolphins , lost the second and were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga . The club spent the next four seasons at
4680-503: The same length of time with an additional two-year option. Ratings were characterized as "poor" in the inaugural season, with ABC averaging a 2.1 rating and USA Network averaging a 1.2 rating. Television ratings in the United States were "dismal" during the league's second season, with ABC averaging a 1.7 rating and USA Network averaging a 1.1 rating. As a result, ABC's payment was reduced to $ 3 million while USA saw theirs lowered to $ 10 million. According to The New York Times , USA Network
4752-407: The second level of German football, slowly rebuilding. It moved from its old ground to the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark and, in 2001, managed to win its division, entitling the team to take part in the promotion round. After playing and losing to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes , promotion was seemingly missed, but the withdrawal of the Düsseldorf Panther from the GFL opened up a spot in the league for
4824-460: The team decided to join established club BSC Wilmersdorf in 1981, changing its club colors and name, becoming the Berlin Adler. The Adler began to improve in 1983, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time. A youth department was formed and the team changed mother clubs, now joining BSC Rehberge , to gain a permanent home ground. The Adler moved into the Radrennstadion Schöneberg in 1986 as their home ground and earned their first German title
4896-477: The time of its closure, the league consisted of five German teams and one team based in the Netherlands. The league operated under rules nearly identical to the NFL, but featured some differences and experimental rules changes designed to appeal to fans of association football (soccer) and rugby football . NFL teams were incentivized to allocate players through the granting of additional training camp positions for each allocated player, and each team in NFL Europe
4968-490: Was "not happy" with this arrangement and did not heavily promote the league as a result. International teams aired on different domestic networks. Montreal Machine games were aired in English on TSN and in French on RDS . Coverage in Europe was mostly on satellite television . Eurosport showed games on delay and Super Channel aired the 1991 World Bowl. In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 showed half-hour highlights of Monarchs games on Saturday mornings. Larry Eichel of
5040-437: Was a tournament for the best European American football teams affiliated to IFAF (International Federation of American Football - Europe), which replaced the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) in 2014. Until 2013, the final game of the EFL was the Eurobowl , which has been held annually since 1986. In 2014, the EFL was replaced as Europe's top-tier club competition by the new BIG6 European Football League and
5112-454: Was required to employ a number of "local" players. Most of the league's players were American, with "local" players tending to be converted rugby or soccer players playing at the punter or placekicker positions. Several NFL Europe alumni – including quarterbacks Brad Johnson , Kurt Warner , and Jake Delhomme – went on to have successful careers in the NFL, and three NFL Europe alumni ( Adam Vinatieri , Dante Hall , and Brian Moorman ) made
5184-472: Was the "fastest-growing international community" for the league, and attributed this in part to the popularity of the former NFL Europe's German teams, but argued the large number of expats as well as the American military presence were greater factors. In 2007, fans and former members of the Frankfurt Galaxy – the most successful of NFL Europe's teams on the field and in crowd attendance – created
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